Phoenix Tears
by The Sentient Wolf
Summary: “As the second war begins we must make our last great stand and together we must fight, for we are the wizarding world’s one last hope…”


Title: Phoenix Tears

Summary: "As the second war begins we must make our last great stand and together we must fight, for we are the wizarding world's one last hope…"

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All characters and situations belong to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury and Warner Bros.

Notes: I'm usually a one-shot author but I figured it was time to branch out a little…we'll see how it goes, PLEASE drop me a review; constructive criticism (and anything else you wanna throw my way) is MUCH appreciated.

CHAPTER 1

"He's lying."

"Sorry?"

"Think about it Remus!" Snapping irritably Sirius Black pushed away from the long dining table against which he had been leaning and took to pacing the length of the dingy kitchen, waving his arms to emphasize his point. "How many people do you know who have _actually, honestly, truly, REALLY _betrayed him and lived to tell the tell?"

"Sirius-"

"No one! That's because it's _impossible_!" Black broke his stride momentarily to look his friend right in the eye. "It just can't be done!"

"_Sirius_-"

"The snake's lying to us!"

"Sirius!" And before he could interrupt again Remus ploughed on. "Sirius, please think logically. I am very well aware that you don't like _or_ trust him…" Here Lupin had to raise his voice slightly over Sirius' grunt of 'Now _there's _the understatement of the century.' "…But what remains is that Dumbledore _does_, and, Sirius listen to me, Dumbledore is possibly our very last lifeline in this war and he _knows _it. There is _no way _that he would take the risk unless he was _absolutely _sure that we would be in no danger."

"I'm not denying that! Look, Dumbledore's a trusting guy, I mean he admitted a werewolf into Hogwarts, _without_ _Wolfsbane_, he let a werewolf teach his students, he believed my story against all odds, I mean he even -"

"And was he wrong about any of these?" Lupin interjected.

Silence.

"I can't see Snape betraying Dumbledore."

"I wonder why he stopped supporting Voldermort. If indeed he actually did…" Muttered Sirius pensively.

"It couldn't have been easy for him, you know."

"Yeah poor little Snivelly." Snorted Black indifferently.

Remus shot him a look, but didn't take the bait so the pair lapsed into a deliberative silence. It was not uncomfortable, yet there was an undeniable sense of unease.

Sirius' footsteps echoed eerily as he crossed the room and went back to lolling against the table's edge, but quickly found he couldn't stay still for long.

Watching his restless friend from his chair by the unlit fireplace Remus felt his heart squeeze with sympathy. It was painstaking obvious that being back at Grimmauld Place was bringing back some awful memories for Sirius.

And it was easy to see why, Lupin let his gaze travel the grimy room, taking in the rachitic chairs, stretching table and dusty cupboards-

"Hey." He let his breath out slowly and rose from his chair, causing Sirius to glance round as Remus began to scratch through the overhead cabinets.

"You're not gonna find anything even remotely edible."

"Well who say's I'm looking for something _edible_?" His friend responded slyly.

Sirius couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face. "Now Moony, that's not like you!"

Remus laughed as Sirius bounded over to join him. It was the reaction he'd hoped for…now if he could only find something to cheer his companion up even more.

"Aha!" After minutes of rummaging about the filthy shelves Remus withdrew a large bottle of blood red liquid.

"Odkin's finest wine." Sirius said, reading off the label. "Nice choice, Moony."

"No choice of mine," Remus announced rather grimly. "It's quite literally all there is."

"Well that suits me just fine." Reaching into a lower cupboard Sirius withdrew two dusty goblets. "Can you believe these were once transparent?"

Remus did a double take at the dirt-brown glasses. "Oh for Merlin's sake, Sirius, _please_ clean them."

Laughing at the appalled expression on his friend's face Sirius withdrew his wand and muttered, "_Scourgify_!"

Within instants the tumblers had gone from virtually black with filth to sparkling crystal-clear.

"Better?" He quirked.

"Much." With a twist of his wand Remus popped the cork from the bottle and filled the two goblets.

"Cheers!" Remus rolled his eyes as Sirius tipped his glass back and downed it in one gulp before refilling it again.

"Slow down there." He cautioned. "Come, what shall we drink to?"

For a long moment Sirius eyed him carefully, then raised his glass. "To friendships reborn."

"To friendships reborn." Remus imitated him.

There was another silence as the friends held each other's gaze, this time there was not even the smallest sense of discomfort.

Again Sirius chucked back his wine. "It's been awhile." He chortled. "Don't think I'll be able to hold my liquor nearly as well as I used to."

Shaking his head Remus drew back a chair with a wave of his wand. "Sit." He instructed and without argument Sirius sat, filling his goblet as he did.

Draining his own wine Remus let the surreality of the whole situation wash over him; here they were, in the midst of an all-out war, sipping wine as though they had not a care in the world, sitting in the grimy kitchen of a Dark wizard's home, planning an assault on the Darkest wizard of all time and ready to defy their own Ministry, the very organization that was employed to ensure their safety.

And that was only the beginning.

Yes, life as a member of the Order of the Phoenix was anything but dull.

"You know we _really _should think about finding something to eat at some point."

Sirius raised his head off his arms at the sound of his friend's voice. "Moony, I _never _want to eat ever again. I couldn't keep it down." He groaned, letting his head drop again.

"Well I'm not surprised. You only drank two thirds of the bottle in less then two hours." Remus reprimanded him with a mixture of amusement and concern, now _this _brought back memories…

It was the morning after the wine drinking and a night spent sleeping at the kitchen table. It was also the start of the pair's first full day at Headquarters and for the first time it really began to dawn on Remus how much work there was to be done.

The very least of which was to somehow find enough food to keep them all alive. For the time being at least…

"And of course trying to make this place inhabitable." Remus muttered, remembering Dumbledore's letter, and though he quite sure that his companion was not even remotely listening he found it easier to organize things once he heard them out loud. "I don't s'pose Kreacher would be of much help."

"Ha!" Blinking his bleary eyes open Sirius let out what may have been a laugh, though the sound was muffled slightly by the sleeves of his robes. "That filthy beast would sooner chew off his own ear than offer _us_ any form of assistance!"

"No…no I'm sure he wouldn't, not unless he was ordered."

"You'd trust _him_ with our _food_?" Sirius managed a smirk. "Moony not even Dumbledore's that bad!"

"Well don't let him hear you say that." Said a very amused voice from the kitchen doorway.

And sure enough, standing on the threshold, dressed in robes of magnificent turquoise dotted with little stars that actually twinkled, was Albus Dumbledore. And beside him, hovering in mid-air, were four large grocery bags.

Unable to decide whether he was more stunned by the old man's sudden apparition or by his flamboyant appearance Remus opened his mouth, totally unaware of what to say.

Dumbledore decided to spare him the trouble. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything." He said cheerfully, stepping forwards into the room and making his way to the table upon which Sirius was slouched over. "I was going to drop in last night, but it appears you got on fine but yourselves…" His gaze went, very pointedly, to the empty bottle beside Sirius' head.

Although he knew he had done nothing wrong Remus immediately felt slightly abashed, Dumbledore had that effect on people.

Seeing the look on the younger man's face the Headmaster added. "Though it seems Mr. Black has rather over-indulged."

Issuing a moan into his sleeves Sirius murmured. "I am _never _going to get that drunk again."

"Oh I've heard that one before!" Remus said as he and Dumbledore chuckled. "As I recall it the last time you used that line was-"

"-The day after James and Lily's wedding." Sirius completed the sentence, this time the softness of his voice had little to do with his pounding headache.

"Ah." Dumbledore intervened softly. "Now who could forget such an event? Though as _I _recall it, you weren't much better off yourself, Remus."

A faint tinge came to Lupin's cheeks, but before he could respond the Headmaster went on. "But there is a time and a place and this is neither." His voice was not forceful, just assertive. "As I am sure you can see plainly for yourselves, there is much to be done."

"Yeah we've noticed."

Choosing to ignore Sirius' dry comment Dumbledore looked to Remus. "Now where is Kreacher? As Sirius quite rightly stated not even _I _would trust him with our food supplies, but I'm sure that we could find him a less-ah- _risky _task."

"To be honest I'm not entirely sure where he's got to." Remus frowned, glancing at Sirius. "We haven't seen him since we first arrived last night."

"Ah well that's a matter we will attend to later." Dumbledore said dismissively, drawing his wand. "Right now we should unpack." Even as he said it the contents of the bags began to unload and stack themselves neatly on the counter going around on edge of the room, beside the stove. "Once the shelves have been scrubbed-_thoroughly_ I'd advise-then you can store it all away."

Remus nodded with a rather forbidding sense sitting in his stomach. "You said in your letter that Headquarters _may need some tending to _but I had no idea…"

"Oh the filth isn't the worst of it." Sirius seemed at last ready to sit up. "It's the curses I'd be more worried about."

"Yes." Dumbledore muttered thoughtfully. "Yes I'd thought as much. But the interesting thing about that…but of course curses would be more withstanding…then again it depends on the skill of the wizard who casts it…and there's no guaranty that the house ever had the charms cast upon it…"

As the Headmaster trailed into silence the two friends exchanged a glance.

"Er…Albus?" Remus started.

"Oh, my apologizes. I believe the first matter to attend to here is apperation, or more specifically _anti_-apperation, we need anti-apperation wards. If number 12 Grimmauld Place ever had them they have long since disappeared, as it was a simple feat for me to gain entry to the confines."

"I see." Lupin said, running a hand through his greying hair.

"There are a number of other charms and counter-curses we will need to cast to ensure the security of our Headquarters before the first meeting."

"And when will that be?" Sirius felt a sense of discomfiture creep over him, a sense that both his companions picked up and understood instantly.

"You worry about the reaction you will receive." It wasn't a question. "Let it cause you no further disconcertment, Sirius, it's a matter that Minerva, Alastor and I are attending to. With great success if I do say so myself." He added quickly, seeing the unconvinced look on Sirius' face.

"It'll be alright, Sirius." Remus whispered comfortingly, looking down at his still seated friend. "And in the very rare occurrence that something _does_ go wrong, we can get you out of trouble in a matter of seconds."

"Very true." Dumbledore said solemnly. "Ah…but it appears time is getting the better of us. At this rate we will never be finished in time."

"Come on." Reaching a hand out to his friend Remus pulled Sirius to his feet; the latter shook his head groggily, trying to clear it.

It was going to be a long day.


End file.
